Transmission control mechanism



June 1, 1948. J, c. AUTEN wmusmssxon CONTROL MECHANISM 2 She ets-She et 1 Original Filed April 4, 1945 INVENTOR.

June 1, 1948. J. c. AUTEN 2,442,634

TRANSMISSION CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed April 4, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ?atented June 1, 194g STA-res PATENT? oeerce Original applicationz Atari, 1945, x Serial: *No." 586,498. Divided and this-application-February 21-, 1946-, 'Serial No.649,194

This invention relates to transmission control mechanism and refers more partlcularlyltoimprovements in transmission remote. shift mechanism especially adapted for mountingon motor vehicle steering posts.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 586,498,. filed April. 4,. 1945.

Itis an object of my invention to provide a control mechanism capable of beingmanufactured at lower cost than devices'of this general type heretofore known.

Another object is to provide a control which is less likely to rattle than known devices and which will give better service and have longer life.

A further object is to provide an improved arrangement for biasing the hand lever in a direc-- tion-serving to offset the effect of gravity actingon the hand lever and tending to unintentionally shift the hand lever out of certain of its positions of shift, such tendency being aggravated by the vibrationor' jiggle of the vehicle as it is being driven along a rough'ro'adway: I have also ar-- ranged my improved biasing means to yieldingly urge the control mechanism toward one of the paths of H-shift such as what is commonly termed the high speed side as distinct from the side for selecting reverse. An important char acteristic of my biasing means resides 'in' an arrangement which will avoid spring 'failu'r'es experienced in the past due, for example, tote'nd ency of the spring to wrap around the main operating shaft.

Another object is to provide a biasing means for the main control rod so arranged as to yieldingly maintain the shift leveragainst accidental and undesired displacement from each of its positions of shift forwardly and rearwardly from the neutralgate; Myarrangemenhaccording to one embodiment of my invention, is such that the-biasing means does not operate toyieldi nglyurge shift of the lever toward neutral from a position of shift either forwardly or rearwardly from neutral inthe general H-path of'lever shift.

Further objects and advantages of my invention reside in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed,referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig; 1 is a side elevational' viewof' a typical power plant and steering wheel installation 'for'a motor vehicle showing my invention" applied thereto;

Fig; 2 is a planvie'w of the steering'wheeland driver operable shift lever as viewed by the vehicle dr'lver;

2.2 Fig; 3 is'a sectional elevational view through the shift'lev'rand connecti'o'rl'to the steering post mountedv oontrolrodf Fig; 4 isa detail sectional planvl'ewtaken as Fig." 5 is a sectional elevational view taken asindicated by 1iri'e"5-'5-0f Fig;'3; I

Fig'fifi'i's' an enlargedelev'atiorlal view il1I'1stra't-' ing the biasing'means for'the shift mechanismas viewed in Fig; '1 v Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the Fig: 6v structure taken 'as indi'cated by line 1-'|' of Fig. 6; and' Fig. 8 is a 'view generally similar toFi'g; 6 but illustrating, a modified arrangement of biasing. means.

In the drawingsI have illustratedmy invention in connectionwitl'i'a motor vehicle comprising the Well known 'el'lgih A," cllltc'h'B; ancl'anytypeof transmission '0' which is adapted to be manipu-' lated at least "in' part by'the' vehicle driver." In general; my invention provides improvements in the transmission control mechanism illustrated in the patents to F. W1 SlackNo. 2,291,1I1 of July 28,1942, an'd'Q; E; Fishburn'No'; 2,284,191 of May 28, 1'942, and maybe employed to "advantage in controlling the "shift" "functions" 'ofvariou's' types of 'tra'rl'siiii'ssi'on's other thanthose illustrated "in these patents;

Myicontrolmechanism "is especially adapted for mounting on the conventional steering post 15 below the steering wheel l6, this steering post having its axis inclined forwardly. and' do'wnwardlyfromthe steering when. A maih'control rod D extends longitudinally "adjacent "the post [5 and is adapted to select and opr'atethe transmission control elements for forward andfreverse speed ratio drives as in the transmissions of the aforesaid patents, for example; When rodD" is adjusted fror'fi' a neutrar osition in thedire'btion of its axis, such motion 'is' transmitted through any suitabl'e operating connection, su'c'h as through the eowden wire' IT, to the transmiss on selector lever [8; When rod -D' is 'rotated'about its axis such motion is transmitted through any suitable operating connection; such'as' through the link and leve'rsystem'lil, N121, to'the trans= mission lever 22 thereby 'to '0perate'the==trans'- mission speed ratio" control elementwhich has been selected by rotary movement of rod D1 Rod Dmay be'suitably guided adjacent its iow er 'endtoaccommodate its "rotary and longitudi nalmoveme'nts 'as in the yielding bushing 23 (Fig. 6) carried by bracket 24 rigidly mounted on-post l5. Rod D may beassembled downwardly in its bushing mountings, a lever 25 being thereafter fixed to the rod for operating link 19. Adjacent its upper end rod D is guided by a bushing 26 which is fixed in a bracket 21 which in turn is fixed to post Hi. In Fig. 3 the bushing 26 has a press fit in bracket 21, this bushing having an annular flange 28 at its upper end resting on the upper face of the bracket. As will presently be apparent, the bushing 26 serves as a fixed fulcrum support for the shift lever on the post l5.

At its upper end rod D is formed with a flattened laterally elongated lever-forming head portion 29 slotted at 30 to receive a lever operating and guide means. A shift lever E comprises a hollow steel stamping terminating outwardly in a stem portion 33 threaded to receive the handle or knob 34 adapted to be grasped by the driver in manipulating lever E. If desired, the outer end of shift lever E may be formed as an integral part of the lever instead of as a separate part connected thereto. At its inner end, the Walls of lever E form a housing for the rod head 29, the sides 35 of the latter slidably engaging the inner side faces of the lever side walls 36 of lever E thereby maintaining the lever against lateral displacement relative to rod D. This housing portion of lever E opens downwardly at 31 above bushing 26 and forproviding a slidable fulcrum mounting of lever E on bushing 26, lever fulcruming rockers are carried by the lever. These rockers or cams may be formed adjacent the lower boundary of opening 31 in the form of the laterally extending support flanges 38 havin shift lever supporting faces adapted to bear on the upper face of the bushing flange 28. The shift lever E and its association with rod D as illustrated in Fig. 3 herein are described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 586,498.

In Fig. 3 the rocker flanges 38 are deflected laterally outwardly from the depending side walls 36 of lever E and away from each other, such arrangement permitting these side walls to be fashioned smoothly for a freely fitting engagement with the sides 35 of head 29 as aforesaid and at the same time permitting the rod head 29 to be assembled with lever E by inserting head 29 directly into opening 31 between rockers 38. Rockers 3B are spaced from each other at Opposite sides of axis XX of rod D, the rockers extending in the general direction of the shift lever E so as to intersect a plane through axis X-X transversely to lever E.

The fulcrum point for lever E remains, during operation of the lever, substantially in a plane through axis XX transverse to the lever. It is desirable to maintain the fulcrum point closely adjacent the rod axis XX to minimize lateral loads on rod D.

I have provided means supported between the depending side walls of lever E and cooperating with the slotted formation of the lever head 29 for effecting lift of the rod D in response to lift of lever handle 34 and also for maintaining lever E positioned against undesired displacement in the direction of its length transversely to the axis X-X, this means cooperating with the flanges 38 and fulcrum bushing 26 to guide up and down shifting movements of lever E. In Fig. 3 this means comprises a plate 39 extending between the side walls of lever E and having a flanged head 40 seating externally on one side wall, a companion flanged head 4| seating on the opposite side wall and being secured to the plate 39 by fasteners 42 and 43.

Plate 39 extends through slot 30 which is gentriangular slot 39 and when the lever is fully swingingly raised then the lower face of plate 39 engages the lower wall or side of slot 30, the plane containing the parallel axes 45 and 48 thus sweeping through an angle approximately bisected by a plane normal to axis X--X and containing axis 48. Thus, by preference, the plate 39 is initially downwardly and outwardly inclined so that in lifting lever E the axis 45 moves substantially vertically in applying its lift to rod D with a minimum of side thrust on the rod D. However, if desired, the plate 39 may have an initial position horizontally or at some other inclination.

The flanges 38 are preferably of arcuate formation on a radius R about the axis 48 and this axis preferably intersects axis X-X or lies closely adjacent thereto in order to cause lever E to swing vertically about the axis of rod D without undue side'thrust thereon and in order to maintain a fixed distance R between the lever axis 48 and the fulcrum surface at 28. With such an arrangement the axis 48 neither rises nor falls for vertical shifts of lever E and, therefore, neither gains nor loses effective lift on the rod D. Of course, by curving flanges 38 about an axis either above or below that illustrated at 48, the effective lift of lever E will be either supplemented by increased lift or decreased lift as the case may be. Furthermore, flanges 38 could be of non-uniform curvature for camming lift if desired.

During upward swing of lever E, the lever axis of rotation 48 has an imperceptible displacement laterally of axis X-X as the plate 39 moves perpendicular to axis XX and the lever is free to so move by slight slip at the fulcrum support 28.

In order to minimize friction between the fixed fulcrum bushing 26 and the lever flanges 38 slidably seated thereon and to provide for an easy noiseless shift of lever E both vertically and horizontally or laterally, I preferably form the bushing, or its lever supporting face, of some metal composition different from that of the lever flanges. Thus in Fig. 3 the bushing 26 is formed by molding and sintering powdered metal or metals of different melting points in a manner now well known in forming porous metal bearings of the self-lubricating type as, by way of example, set forth in patent to C. A. Tea 1,927,619, of September 19, 1933, and to W. G. Calkins et a1. 1,927,627 of September 19, 1933. Lubricant may be provided in the form of graphite included in the metal mixture supplemented by or substituted by fluid lubricant absorbed by immersing the bushing in lubricating oil then to be exuded to the fulcrum surface of bushing flange 28.

Following present known arrangements in remote gearshift mechanisms in general use, rod D is preferably biased downwardly at some convenient point or points in the connections of the operating system, usually within the transmission C. This serves to maintain lever E in its Fig. 3 neutral downwardly swung position known as the high speed range ready to be rotated forwardly about axis XX to the position E in Fig. 2 for forward transmission drive setting or rearward p rase;

tc 11'' for forward drive in high. Lever =,E is .ilif-tedinneutral and thenmoved forward about -..,axis.-X--'-X for reverse, or rearward for forward wd-IiVGjlIL'IOW, this latter position being omitted in 'SQHIGLVVBH'FkHOWH shift arrangements especially --where the manual shifts are supplemented by automatic shift functions in the transmission.

:-Because of the inclination of post 15 and rod D,-and the mass of lever E,- the lever when in the forward position E has a tendency to work aback to neutralespecially when driving the car over-rough roads. In order to offset this tend- .ency and to also bias the lever E downwardly, .-.Ithave;-provided a coil spring Ell (Figs. 6 and 7) .having its upper end secured at 5| to rod D. The

.lower-endof this spring is secured at 52 to bracket- 24 and is displaced rotatably about axis ,X,,X relative to the end at 5! in a direction tending to .-bias--le-ver E forwardly from its neutral position, .thedisplacementbeing. such that with the lever shifted to the position E the spring 50 will act to: counterbalance and offset the tendencyv of the lever to jiggle out of the-position E. At the :same, time spring 50 exerts a constant downward t-pull on rod D so that lever Eis maintained seatedon-bushing 26 and to maintain an anti-rattle connection between rod D and lever-E.

With leverE in its Fig. 3 neutral position, rod 1 Dis biaseddownward causing head 29 to .seat on the upper face of plate 39 thereby forcing the levenE to seat at its flanges 36 on the bushing flange .2811 stationarily mounted on the, post I5. :Rotationtof lever E either fore or aft will cause thezlever rodD to rotate as a unit about axis :X-.:-X,. head. 29 fitting the side walls of lever E.:

eDuring this'movement flanges 38 rotatably slid- -ably bear on the bushing flange 28. The lubricantcontent of the bushing 26 insures the desired freedom ofsliding contact at flanges 38 free from noise and undue wear.

'When lever E is lifted from the Fig. 3 neutral position, preparatory for a rotational shift in the raised position, flanges 38 wipe across flange 28 V at the bushin contact substantially in a,- plane transversely to the shift lever through axis X-X or closely adjacent thereto as in Fig. 3 while the plate portion at 46 lifts the head 29. During this lift, the lever E rotates about, axis 48 in providing .armechanical advantage. for lifting rodD in the 'ratio. of theieffective lengths of lever E andplate r39: fromaxis XX. vAfter the lever has. been :lifted then itisswung aboutlaxis X.X. The

-: wiping and rotating movements of flangei.38.on flange 28 brings into action at different times the various portions of flanges 38 with the various portions of flange 28 so that there is no tendency to wear a groove in the fulcrum surface of flange 28.

Referring to Fig. 8 I have illustrated a modified arrangement of means operating to bias rod D downwardly and also acting to prevent the shift lever from undesirably working back by gravity from its forwardly selected position of adjustment from neutral when vibrations or jiggle effects are experienced in driving the car. Furthermore, the Fig. 8 arrangement has the further advantage of being free from any tendency to bias the shift lever out of its rearwardly selected position of adjustment.

In Fig. 8 I have positioned a coil spring H below bracket 2% and having its lower end seated on the lower end of rod D as by engagement with the upper face of lever which is fixed on this rod. Bracket 24 and lever 25 thus act as spring abutments. This spring H has a liberal slight amountgbecause spring llv is allowed to ..cleanancer.with;.shaftDsuchthat-it.willmotiunder conditi ns 'sengagefzthez rod -.and:.tend; toaselze thereon. and -..thus 1ead;.to:sprin failure. iaT

- ;i npcr1.end; of: the {spring is seated: onrthe shoulbodily rotate. Tendency of thespring 'lLto be torsionally stressed being; prevented because: the

. spring is free to rotate either at its contact-with 1 washer 33101 else; by; rotating -,with .the washer,

the latter slipping, at its'conta-ct with bracket- 24, depending on whether the friction is higher or lower at the bracketsurface relative: to the. contact of, the spring-contact l2. Ineitherevent the friction at the washer surfaces is very small relative to the friction at thelever 25 seating spring 'l l. The lever will-be maintained in its forwardly shifted position owing tothe load of spring H resisting thegravitypull toward neutral on the main shift lever as-wellas the jiggle effect on the shift leverxwhich tendsto-move the lever rearwardly, from its forwardly -shifted position.

The Fig. 8 arrangementhas the further advantage over the Fig-6 arrangementof yieldingly maintaining the shift leverinits-position of shift rearwardly from-neutral. Although the gravity effect on-thelevertends to maintain the shift lever in this position it isdesirable-in some transmission control systems to eliminate or minimize the Fig. 6 effect of spring 50 acting to bias the shift lever forwardlytoward neutral from a position ofshift rearwardly from neutral. The

'Fig.-8 arrangementserves this purpose in the samemanner that ityieldingly resists'undesired shift-of the shiftlever from the aforesaid position of ,shift forwardly from neutral. nother words, the spring 1 l in conjunction with washer 'fz ser-ves to maintain the shift lever in itspositions of i shift without introducing a biasing swing of the shift lever about the axis of the selector operator rod D.

In-Fig. Bthe spring 1 I will remain seated at its lower end on lever- 25 without slip at this point 7 because no attempt is-made to machine and polish or grind the lever spring seat and the inherent friction at this point is much greater than at washer 13. Furthermore, the torsion tending to be set up in spring H, when rod D is rotated, is relieved by the slip at washer l3 and this results in a smooth action by reason of the properties'of washer l3 and cannot be felt by the operator at the lever handle 34. On the other hand, if the sprin H was allowed to slip at the lever 25, for example, then the rough action would be objectionable at the handle 34 and furthermore the spring ll would build up undesired torsion before periodically slipping and would then only partially relieve the torsion leaving an undesired residue biasing the shift lever out of its positions of shift.

I claim:

1. In a control mechanism for selectively oper ating speed ratio controls of a motor vehicle transmission, a steering column so disposed as to slope downwardly and forwardly of the vehicle ing column and extending generally longitudinally of and to one side of the steering column so as to slope with the steering column and adapted for operative connection with the transmission, a shift lever having an outer end portion adapted to be grasped by the vehicle driver and an inner end portion, means operably connecting said inner end portion of said shift lever with the upper end of said rod to effect rotation of said rod substantially about its axis in response to rotary shifting movements of said shift lever and to effect reciprocation of said rod substantially along its axis in response to up and down swinging movements of said shift lever, means providing a fulcrum support for said shift lever so arranged in cooperation with said connecting means as to accommodate driver manipulation of said shift lever rotatably from a neutral position selectively either forwardly or rearwardly substantially about said rod axis and driver manipulation of said shift lever upwardly from said neutral position and then rotatably, a single spring positioned to react agaimt said rod to urge it to its downward position and simultaneously to resist rotation of said rod whereby said spring operates through said rod to bias said shift lever downwardly in opposition to said upward manipulationfrom said neutral position and also to bias said shift lever in opposition to shift thereof toward said neutral position from its said position of manipulation forwardly from neutral whereby to overcome tendency of the shift lever to undesirably vibrate from said forwardly manipulated position toward its said neutral position under the gravitational force acting on the shift lever during vibratory vehicle travel.

2. In a control mechanism for selectively operating speed ratio controls of a motor vehicle transmission, a steering column so disposed as to slope downwardly and forwardly of the vehicle from the driver thereof, a main rotatable and reciprocatory control rod mounted on the steering column and extending generally longitudinally of and to one side of the steering column so as to slope with the steering column and adapted for operative connection with the transmission, a shift lever having an outer end portion adapted to be grasped by the vehicle driver and an inner end portion, means operably connecting said inner end portion of said shift lever with the upper end of said rod to effect rotation of said rod substantially about its axis in respam to rotary shifting movements of said shift lever and to effect reciprocation of said rod substantially along the axis in response to up and down swinging movements of said shift lever, means providing a fulcrum support for said shift lever so arranged in cooperation with said connecting means as to accommodate driver manipulation of said shift lever rotatably from a neutral position selectively either forwardly or rearwardly substantially about said rod axis and driver manipulation of said shift lever upwardly from said neutral position and then rotatably, a tension coil spring disposed to one side of the rod and steering column, means for anchoring the lower end of said spring in fixed position relative to the steering column, and means connecting 'the upper end of said spring to said rod in such offset relationship with respect to the lower end of the spring that said spring operates through said rod to bias said shift lever downwardly in opposition to said upward manipulation from said neutral position and also to bias said shift lever in opposition to shift thereof toward said neutral position from its said position of manipulation forwardly from neutral whereby to overcome tendency of the shift lever to undesirably vibrate from said forwardly manipulated position toward its said neutral position under the gravitational force acting on the shift lever during vibratory vehicle travel.

3. In a steering column mounted control for a motor vehicle transmission, a driver manipulatable shift lever, a control rod supported by the steering column and adapted to be rotated and reciprocated by said shift lever, and a spring disposed to one side of and having its opposite ends respectively connected to said rod and steering column, the spring connections being so relatively spaced as to bias said rod in the direction of and rotatably about the axis of said rod.

' JAY C. AUTEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,182,252 Dolza et al Dec. 5, 1939 2,235,975 Best Mar. 25, 1941 2,237,507 Shrefiler Apr. 8, 1941 2,303,787 Burd Dec, 1, 1942 2,324,732 Slack July 20, 1943 

